When its cargo was seized by the United States in 2023, it was called Suez Rajan and was carrying Iranian oil that was under sanctions. From now on, the ship, renamed St. Nikolas, is in the hands of an Iranian naval commando.
“The Navy of the Islamic Republic of Iran seized an American tanker in the waters of the Arabian Sea in accordance with a court order,” the mullahs' regime's official news agency said. An armed operation carried out “following the breach of the ship Suez Rajan in May 2023 and the theft of Iranian oil by the United States,” said the Iranian Navy, which carried out the seizure of the ship.
The ship had been loading a cargo of around 145,000 tons of crude oil in Basra, Iraq, before the group that manages the tanker lost contact with its ship and its 19 crew members in the Arabian Sea. According to Iranian authorities, the St. Nikolas is now on its way to “the ports of the Islamic Republic to hand it over to the judicial authorities.”
Anger of the United States
“The Iranian government must immediately release the boat and its crew,” U.S. State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told the press, denouncing an “illegal” seizure that “disrupts international trade.” Thursday's seizure of the tanker came as American diplomatic chief Antony Blinken had just completed a diplomatic trip to the region.
Thursday's seizure of the tanker came as American diplomatic chief Antony Blinken had just completed a diplomatic trip to the region. Iran is currently holding five boats and more than 90 crew members hostage from ships seized nearly a year ago, the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet said.